Can the The New York Times Company (NYT) Keep Pace?

After long, seemingly exhaustive deliberations, the Times finally rolled out on March 28, 2011, a pricing structure for NYTimes.com as a way to jump-start revenue. Further, the Times recently announced that mobile app users could gain access to a maximum of three articles a day while choosing from more than 25 sections, blogs, and slideshows before having to subscribe.

Meanwhile, the trend of newspaper titans changing their structures to make Wall Street happy has continued with a vengeance. For example, Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) on June 13 introduced its ambitious plans to shell out $1.5 billion to acquire Belo and the stock market rewarded Gannett by designating it as a broadcasting powerhouse.

The plan worked magnificently, even if Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI) had become more appreciated for its potential as a broadcaster than its time-honored status as a newspaper company. Gannett’s stock roared on the day it announced the major media acquisition. Gannett jumped 27% that day to a five-year high, adding more than $5 and powering through the $25 mark.

The Times will no doubt remain intriguing. One of the juiciest stories that the Times may yet cover is the sale of its parent company. Speculation has been flying that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg may decide to try to acquire the Times when he completes his third term and leaves office at the end of this year.

No matter who ends up controlling the Times, though, the question will persist: How can an owner extract the maximum value for such a prestigious property?